The man accused of burning down the Bidwell Mansion in Chico was arraigned Monday in a Butte County courtroom. The fire started very early in the morning of December 11th, and six days later investigators announced that it was an intentional act of destruction. The iconic mansion, completed in 1868, was the home of Chico founders General John Bidwell and his wife Annie Bidwell. The site is a state park, and the 26 room mansion was undergoing extensive renovations at the time of the fire. Last Thursday 30-year-old Kevin Alexander Carlson was arrested at his Chico home and booked on charges including arson. Butte County D.A. Mike Ramsey says Carlson was placed at the crime scene by a series of surveillance images that showed him parked near the mansion, walking toward it carrying something and then running away after the fire was started. A log of various purchases the day before the fire apparently includes a gas can, gasoline, gloves, a hammer, trash bags and a BBQ lighter. Carlson allegedly broke a window, poured gasoline inside and then threw in a flaming object. Ramsey says a motive is unclear, and Carlson has few social or close family connections. On Monday he asked the court to appoint him an attorney. He could face up to 11 years in prison if convicted of all the charges and enhancements.
-Steve Gibson